📖 eARC provided by the publisher for my honest review. Quotations are from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon final publication.
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado is like Nintendo’s Kirby; it sucked me in and then blew me away. It captured me – heart, soul, body, mind, etc, etc – and no Jan, I will not be quiet about it. I JUST *clenches fist * REALLY NEED YOU TO READ THIS BOOK. And here are all the reasons why.
You Need to Read Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
Charlie is an A+++ Main Character
Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Creative. Half Puerto Rican. Fat. People sometimes have a problem with that last one, but she is determined not to let it get to her. As she navigates through the ups and downs of high school, fights with her mom, and a complex relationship with her best friend, she does so with endless humor and heartfelt sincerity. Sure, she makes mistakes along the way, but that only makes her more lifelike and likable. All in all, Charlie is kind of like a plate of waffles; you can’t help but love her!
“But I am! I’m fat!” I gesture toward my body. “And it’s okay, Mom, I’m allowed to be fat!”
It’s So Fluffy I’m Gonna Die!
Can a person die of cuteness? Because if so, this book’s adorably fluffy romance just slayed me, brought me back to life so I could write this glowing review, and then slayed me again. (So in case you’ve ever wondered if the undead have a penchant for blogging, the answer is a resounding yes). But seriously, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is baby-panda-eating-cotton-candy-while-sitting-on-a-cloud level fluffiness. Brian (AKA: the love interest) is a professional cinnamon roll and his relationship with Charlie is so sweet. So pure. So wholesome. 11/10 would recommend. Reading this will no doubt infuse your brain with its yearly dose of serotonin.
Crystal Maldonado’s Writing is Fresh and Authentic
Reading Fat Chance, Charlie Vega was like looking at a faded old polaroid; it is the perfect snapshot of a teenager experiencing love for the first time. It captures the giddiness, the yearning, the insecurities, the mistakes, the messy happiness of it all in such a realistic way, and that’s all thanks to Maldonado’s heartfelt writing. Her voice is raw, full of emotion, and so openly genuine that I couldn’t help but laugh, cry, and just … feel. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what good writing is all about? Making you feel something?
A Powerful Message of Self-Love
My memories of high school are riddled with self-doubt, self-loathing, and tearful mornings of looking in the mirror and not liking what I saw. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega packages up all of those painful teenage insecurities into one empowering narrative about finding love even (and especially) when you don’t believe you deserve it. Charlie’s bumpy journey on the highway to self-acceptance was tear-jerkingly, heart-achingly, soul-stirringly beautiful and I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.
“We’re all messy, Charlie. So when everything’s a mess, it seems to me like you just need to give yourself room to breathe.”
The TL;DR
Ultimately, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega is a painfully realistic coming-of-age story that handles important themes such as body acceptance and self-love, with candor and care. It authentically paints the teenage experience as both joyous and soul-crushing in equal measures, and it is guaranteed to melt your heart like ice cream on a hot summer’s day.
TODAY'S WAFFLE RECIPE
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
From the Kitchen of: Crystal MaldonadoCooking Directions:
Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard. Harder when your whole life is on fire, though.
Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat.
People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it's hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn't help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.
But there's one person who's always in Charlie's corner: her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing--he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her? UGHHH. Everything is now officially a MESS.
A sensitive, funny, and painful coming-of-age story with a wry voice and tons of chisme, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves.
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Have you read Fat Chance, Charlie Vega? Do have it on your TBR?
What are some of your favorite fluffy romances?
What’s a debut novel you’re looking forward to in 2021?
ahh i requested an ARC of this through email, but sadly the publisher didn’t have the rights to it in my country!! i can’t wait for it’s release date though, and now i’m even more excited because i know you loved it so much!!
Ugh, I’m sorry that you weren’t able to get an ARC of this! It’s sometimes difficult to be an international book blogger for reasons like that ☹️ But it was SOSOSOSOSO good and it’ll be the perfect book to read in the Spring! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when you get a chance to read it 💛
Great review! This sounds like a great and an important book and I’m definitely gonna be checking it out
Thank you and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 💛
ahhh… I was excited for this book and now I am even more excited !! I’m so glad you liked this book. Charlie sounds like an awesome character and now I’m excited for the writing and powerful messages too ! I CAN’T WAIT !! thank you for making me even more excited !! 💕
I’m so glad to hear that my review made you even more pumped to read it, Sophie! I hope that you ABSOLUTELY LOVE it because I know I did! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts once you get the chance to pick it up 💛
Lovely review! I can’t wait to read this one!
Thanks so much, Becky! I hope that you love it as much as I did 💛
Great review! This book looks like a great inspiring book for spring.
Thank you so much, Nikki! I agree – this is the PERFECT book for Spring! I hope you enjoy it too if you ever get the chance to read it 💛
oh my goodness i’m getting emotional just reading this review, so the book is going to DESTROY MY HEART!!!!! amazing review (& the cutest blog in the whole world) <3
IT WILL DEFINITELY DESTROY YOUR HEART, but in the best possible way, I promise! It’s just so happy and wholesome and I honestly just enjoyed every second of it. And thank you so much for your kind words, Lou! They mean a lot to me 💛
I mean, it was on my wishlist, but now it’s at the top of my wishlist!! Great review, Kat!!
Thanks so much, Meeghan! I hope you love it as much as I did!💛
[…] @novels & waffles gives all their reasons that you should read fat chance, charlie vega. and i agree with aLL OF […]